Unintended lane departure is one of the main factors for fatal accidents. There are many causes for unintended lane departure: the destraction of talking on a cell phone, inattention while changing the radio, or falling asleep at the wheel.
Conventional lane departure warning systems as described for example in EP 1 074 430 A1 are configured to recognize the difference between the road and lane markings on the road. Such systems include a camera for tracking the visible lane markings and an image processor to determine the vehicle position relative to the road lane. When a vehicle crosses or is about to cross the lane marking, the lane departure warning system automatically provides a warning to the driver of the vehicle.
The object underlying the invention is to provide a lane departure warning environment that is capable of reliably distinguishing between intended and unintended lane departures to avoid false warnings when a lane marking is crossed consciously.